Phone Call
by Alex Snape
Summary: Harley, it's very simple. If The Joker calls you, answer the damn phone! Rated M for language and some sexual references. Daddy/girl dynamics: Ain't it great? Emotional and physical abuse. Nolanverse Joker and Harley.


**If you've read my other stories, you will notice that they are interconnected.**

**This one is not...I just wanted to write something a little naughty...and a bit scary. Enjoy!**

"What do you believe in, huh?" the bank manager demanded. "What do you believe in?!"

The man in the rubber clown mask knelt down and stuck a smoke bomb in the manager's mouth and replied, "I believe…whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you…_stranger_." He pulled off the rubber mask and grinned at the bank manager, who was now wearing a horrified expression as he stared at the man's painted scars.

Wearing a gray blazer with a blue diamond shirt and slacks, The Joker casually walked to the school bus and threw his gun in the back of it. The bank manager watched him drive away, carbon from the muffler drifting into his nose. Suddenly, the pin on the bomb ripped away, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. The manager moaned and passed out.

Minutes later, the Joker was still chuckling over the sight of the wounded man's face. He had pulled into a line of other school buses and he had lots of fun freaking out the kids in the bus in front of him. At one point, he flashed his Cheshire cat grin at a little girl holding her doll but she just smiled back at him. On the outside, he would smirk in amusement but on the inside he was confused.

That's odd, he thought to himself. Most kids are scared of clowns. Haha. A kid after my own heart.

He finally pulled away from the convoy and drove down an empty street to a corner where a black Escalade was waiting for him. He stopped the bus and crawled over the seats to the back and opened up the emergency door, where he was greeted by a fresh-faced teenager with red hair. "Hey, there, Sly," he told him as he began tossing the duffle bags full of cash his way.

"Hey, Boss," the kid replied, grunting as he picked up a bag that had escaped his grip. "Good haul, I see."

The Joker laughed as he jumped from the bus and picked up the other three bags with no problem. "You shoulda been there, Sly Boy. I got that greaseball bank manager right in the knees. Crumpled like last week's newspaper at the bottom of the trash can."

Sly laughed at this strange simile as they both walked to the giant SUV where a man wearing a dark denim jacket opened the back. The Joker and Sly threw the bags inside. "Thanks, Bobby," The Joker told the man as they climbed into the car. The Joker looked back at Sly and the new recruit seating next to him in the backseat. "You guys been lookin' after this kid?"

"Yes, sir, Boss," Bobby replied with a smirk. "This kid's gettin' a little antsy though."

"Oh, really?" The Joker asked, as his brow rose in an intrigued expression.

Mike just grinned and tried to avert The Joker's gaze, but that was pretty hard for him to do when The Boss donned his face paint. "Not really, Boss," Mike told him quietly. "I mean, I'm anxious and all, but I'll go when say go."

The Joker gave him a satisfied smile and turned away, saying, "I wish Harley was as cooperative as you."

"Girl's a bit difficult, huh, Boss?" Mike said with a chuckle.

Sly nudged him in the arm, his eyes wide with caution. Bobby looked into the rearview mirror and did the same, fearful that The Boss would whip out his gun or knife and shove it into the kid's face. Their fears were put to rest when The Joker sighed and licked his bottom lip. "You could say that," he answered. "She's just like you, Mikey. Still learning."

Harley sat by the window of their bedroom filing her nails and humming a made-up tune. The Joker had been gone all morning. She didn't get to have any time with him today and he left without kissing her goodbye, which was something that he was getting accustomed to doing now that she was around. In fact, he secretly couldn't wait to give her that kiss before he went out on a job and give her another when he came back with lots of loot and a triumphant attitude. It was part of his adrenaline rush. He called it his 'good-luck kiss,' to which Harley would just giggle and try to kiss him as long as she could before he finally pulled away and got into the car with his men.

She had been with him for four months now. When she had met him in Arkham, he hadn't really made a name for himself. Sure, his name was familiar, but she knew that he had bigger plans in mind for Gotham. She also knew that he had plans for her, too, and she was still trying to learn how to live with him. He spent most of his nights upstairs in a separate room he called his 'study,' where he would rip apart newspapers and paste words over the headlines to make them sound more amusing, and he would also cut out letters and pictures from other newspapers and magazines to further defile The Gotham Times. She would hear him laugh out loud to himself, but she never dared go in there. She knew she would get a chance to see his work when he finished and he would eagerly watch her as she read the new headlines, her face turning red every second.

He loved to make her laugh and she loved to laugh for him. However, Harley was still not getting the concept of what a bad attitude was to The Joker.

She paused in her nail filing and looked down at her wrist, which was still red from the night before. He had asked her a simple question and, being the quick-witted girl that she was, Harley replied with a sarcastic remark. The result was him flying off of the bed and grabbing her wrist, squeezing it until her hand turned white. After he scolded her for giving him a bad lip, he slapped her and walked out of the bedroom and into his study.

She brought her graceful fingers to her cheek and caressed the skin. He had not left a bruise; he was careful in that. He didn't mind bruising or cutting her anywhere else on her body, but he never left a mark on her face. "Maybe that's why he didn't wake me this morning," she sighed to herself. "He's still angry with me." Tears began to form in her blue eyes, but she stopped them when she heard the Escalade pull up to the abandoned warehouse they called home.

Harley leaned into the glass, anxious at seeing her man even though she was still afraid of him being upset from last night. She saw The Joker jump out of the car while his men brought the duffle bags into the warehouse. He looked up and smiled when he saw Harley and she smiled back, her face glowing with excitement. She let out a small squeak when he blew her a kiss and she ran from the window and down the stairs to greet him.

Before she could wrap her arms around his neck, The Joker lifted her off her feet and spun her around, making her giggle. He stopped and kept one arm around her waist while he gave her a brief kiss on the lips. She sighed with relief and put her head on his shoulder. He gave her a strange look. "What was that for?" he asked, referring to her heavy sigh.

Harley's eyes met his and she grinned. "Oh, nothing. I'm just…glad you're home, Puddin'." The Joker chuckled. His sappy new nickname was beginning to grow on him.

The Joker couldn't stay, much to Harley's disappointment. "Don't worry, sweetie," he told her. "Daddy won't be long. He still has another errand to run…and then…" He came over to Harley as she sat on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of her. "Daddy can come home…and play," he purred as he caressed her thigh. Harley smiled as he brought his lips to her neck and planted soft kisses on her skin. She slowly leaned back until she was on the bed and he was completely on top of her, still kissing her neck and holding down her wrists. She winced when he grabbed the one he had hurt last night, but he didn't seem to notice as he was enjoying the fact that Harley always submitted to him like this. He decided to take advantage of her vulnerable position…

…and blow raspberries into her neck.

Harley laughed in surprise and tried to squirm her way out of his grip, but he held her down. "P-puddin'!" she begged. "Stop…please!! Hahaha!! That tickles!"

He stopped and looked at her, confused. "What? What did I do?"

Harley wiped her neck and said, still laughing, "You're supposed to be kissing me."

He feigned realization and said, "Oh! Yeah, sorry. I forgot." He leaned in again but she scrunched her shoulder to her ear to hide her neck. He squinted playfully at her and tried to go for her other side, but she guarded it with her other shoulder. Finally, seeing that he couldn't win, he nodded…and then quickly lifted her white tank top with his nose and blew big raspberries on her stomach. She squealed even louder and he finally stopped and laughed as she tried to catch her breath.

He playfully slapped her on the thigh and went into the bathroom with Harley at his heels, wiping her eyes from laughing so hard. "What was that all about?" she asked as she leaned against the doorframe as he touched up his face paint.

He shrugged as he filled in spots of white that had been smudged from his cheekbones. "I wanted to make you laugh. I love to hear it."

Harley grinned. She knew that he was trying to hide the fact that he loved _her_ by praising her laugh instead. It didn't matter to Harley whether or not he ever said that he loved her right now because all she wanted to do was keep on laughing and smiling so that he could do the same. "So…" she paused, hesitant in asking about his business. However, when he turned and faced her with an upraised eyebrow, she gulped and continued, "Do you…have…another bank job?"

The Joker smirked and turned back to the mirror with his dark eye makeup. "No, Baby Girl. Got a meeting…with the guys whose money I just stole."

Harley giggled, but immediately regretted it when he turned to face her, his dark eyes glaring in an unreadable expression. Her body tensed, ready to take a slap to the face, but instead he threw his eye makeup into his toiletry bag and beckoned her to him with his finger. She slowly inched toward him and looked up into his face. He was about half a foot taller than she was and he always took great advantage of this. Harley did, too, as his height just added to his charisma and made her want him more.

"Harley," he said in a deep tone. "Do me a favor, sweetness." Harley gulped down the tension that was in her throat and then The Joker said, putting his hand on the small of her back. "Give Daddy a 'good luck kiss' before he puts on his lips." Harley let out a tiny squeak as she obligingly fulfilled his wish.

A couple of hours later, he put on his purple and green outfit, which Harley loved to see him wear. There was something about the way he wore his big purple coat and how it hid the powder blue jacket underneath. He would move his body a certain way and she would get a small peek at the blue fabric and something inside her would explode.

Harley never thought that clothes could get her all worked up like that.

"Okay, Precious," he said, bringing her out of her daze and into his arms. She gave him a squeeze around his waist and rubbed her cheek against his silk tie. He noticed this and gave her a deep chuckle. He knew that his trademark suit always got her going and he loved to leave her hanging in a swooning cloud, so he gave her a deep kiss, to which she let out a loud, satisfied moan. He grinned as he kissed her, but then, when he pulled away, his expression changed to one of seriousness.

"Listen up, Baby Girl, because I'm very firm in this," he said as he buttoned his coat.

"I'll say you are," she whispered as she reached for his crotch.

He grabbed her wrist and stopped her and she looked up at him to meet his stern gaze. He glanced back at his men, who were pretending not to notice Harley's crude gesture. The Joker turned his attention back to Harley, whose posture had suddenly stiffened with the grip on her wrist. He sighed deeply and growled, "You need to watch what you say in front of my guys, little girl. Do I have to make an example out of you? Because I will not hesitate to do it. You understand me?"

Harley finally exhaled the breath that had been caught in her throat and she nodded. He pulled her closer. "I can't hear you…_baby_."

"Y-yes, sir," Harley whispered.

He threw her wrist away from him and cleared his throat. "Like I was saying…before I was _rudely _interrupted…" Harley massaged her wrist, embarrassed as he talked down to her. "Keep your cell phone near you today. I'm gonna call you when I'm on my way back." He paused as he put on his purple gloves. "Oh, and you'd better answer, too, because, if you don't…I'll definitely make an example of you; is that clear?"

"Yes, Daddy," she answered dutifully, as she knew she should and as she knew that he liked.

He looked down at her for a moment and then walked to his men. "Remember what I said, Harley," he told her as the door closed behind him.

The Joker came out of the restaurant with a wide grin on his face. He took off the fake grenades that he had strapped inside his coat and threw them into the back of the car. When he finally seated himself in the front seat, he sighed and looked at Bobby. "I got to do my pencil trick, Bob," he said, a certain lilt in his voice that reminded Bobby of an excited little boy. "I haven't got to do it in a while, too. Felt good. Oh! And I thought they were all gonna shit themselves when I showed them the 'grenades,'" he continued as they drove away, guffawing as he remembered the look on the Chechen's face. "That fucker didn't know which end was up!" he said to himself.

He pulled out his cell phone and furiously dialed Harley's number. He couldn't wait to tell her about his meeting and he eagerly bounced his legs up and down, but after ring number four his mood began to change. When it went to her voicemail, he slammed his phone shut.

Mike looked over at Sly, who was wearing the same concerned expression as he was. They had overheard The Joker's threat to his girl and knew that she would be in for it if she didn't answer his call.

The Joker looked at his phone and redialed the number. Still no answer. He slammed the phone shut again, this time his expression changing to that of growing anger. Bobby could see from the corner of his eye that The Boss was getting impatient. This had happened before and he knew the routine between The Joker and Harley. He would call her three times and if she didn't answer any of those times, she would get it. What she would get, the guys weren't sure of because Harley would always answer on the second or third ring. Bobby knew The Boss was testing her; he knew that The Joker wanted to see if she was paying attention because, as he had told Mike earlier that day, Harley was still learning.

The Joker sighed heavily and dialed for the third time. Sly crossed his fingers as The Boss put the phone to his ear because he also didn't want Harley to get in trouble.

Mike was confused. Harley seemed like a nice girl and didn't seem like the type to be around The Joker. He had to admit to himself that he didn't like the way he treated her, but he never said anything to clue the others into that notion. Until after The Boss hung up his phone.

"Maybe she can't get to it, Boss," Mike told him.

"Stop the car, Bob," The Joker said abruptly.

Bobby slammed on the brakes after he pulled over to the curb on the empty street just a few blocks from the restaurant. Sly and Bobby sat in a terrified silence as The Joker slowly turned to face Mike, whose face had turned pale from surprise.

The Boss's tongue crept out and glided over the corners of his mouth as he reached into his coat and pulled out his gun. He casually aimed it at Mike's forehead and gave him a threatening glare. "Mikey, Mikey, Mikey," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Are you trying to tell me…how to deal…with my girl?"

Mike's bottom lip began to shake as he stared down the barrel of the gun that was hovering in front of his face. "N-n-no, sir, Boss, it's just that…that…"

"Did I ask you for dating advice…Mike-ola? Mikey, ole pal?" He began to move his gun in a circle around Mike's face as he talked while Mike stood stock still.

Suddenly, The Joker put his gun back in his pocket and the three men breathed a silent sigh of relief. The Boss cleared his throat and said, still glaring at the poor rookie, "I'll let you off this time, kid…since you're still learning the ropes. So…rule numero uno: Never…ever…_ever _get into my personal matters. Number two: when I say jump, you oblige. Finally…and this is really important to remember…" He paused and Mike stared back at him as The Joker moved his face closer to his and snarled, "_My_ girl…_my_ business."

"Yes, sir, Boss," Mike said as he nodded. "Sorry, Boss."

The Joker slumped back into his seat and motioned for Bobby to resume driving. He opened his phone one more time and dialed, a frown settling comfortably on his brow. After the third ring, he heard Harley's voice meekly answer, "Hello?"

The Joker took a deep breath. "Do you speak English, Harley?" he asked her sharply.

Sly gulped down the worried lump in his throat as he heard Harley mumble her response on the other end. "Uh…what? I mean…yeah…what's wrong?"

"Good," The Joker sighed. "I thought I was going crazier because I knew I had spoken in English to you before I left a couple of hours ago. Because…then I would know the reason behind you not answering your fucking phone! Either you don't speak English or I was unconsciously speaking in Russian!" His voice was getting firmer and chills began to crawl up Bobby's spine.

"I…I'm sorry, Puddin," Harley answered, trying her best to not let her voice falter. She had heard her phone upstairs in the bedroom and had completely forgotten that he was going to call her when he was headed back home. When she heard it ring the third time, she quickly ran to the bedroom to answer it, but she missed his call. "I forgot…uh, I mean…my phone was in the other room and…"

"Didn't I also tell you to keep your phone near you?" he asked her, his heart beginning to pound in anger.

Dammit, Harley thought to herself. She thought she could get away with the excuse that her phone wasn't within her reach.

The Joker sighed heavily again and scolded her, "I tell you to do one simple thing and you can't even do it. Do you not listen, Harley? Does it go in one ear and out the other? You agreed to keep your phone by you and I trusted you to answer and you didn't. That is the biggest slap in the face you could give me!"

Harley bit her lip and tried not to cry. She never liked it when he got angry with her and now he made it sound as if she hurt his feelings. She didn't realize, however, that this was only the beginning of her punishment.

She bit her nail and tried to mollify him, "But, Mistah J, I swear I just…couldn't get to it in time…I was…"

"That isn't the point, Baby Doll," he said, sarcastically. "You…_did not_…do as I asked. This isn't a matter of you…running to your phone and simply missing a call. I _specifically _told you 'Keep…your phone…near you.' What part of that sentence did you not understand?!"

A single tear rolled down Harley's cheek. She didn't like that The Joker was upset with her. He made her feel like a dunce and she decided that she deserved that feeling. They both knew that she could be forgetful. She wiped her cheek and took a deep breath and finally replied, "I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't do it again."

The Joker chuckled in exasperation and told her, "For some reason, I don't believe you because 'won't do it again' seems to be your favorite phrase with me."

"No, really!" she quickly said, twirling her hair nervously around two fingers as she clutched her phone to her ear. "I'm sorry; really, I am."

The Joker paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What am I gonna do with you, little girl? I sometimes get the feeling that you do these things to spite me."

"No, Daddy! Never. I promise. It won't happen again."

"Bullshit, Harley!"

She was getting frustrated and completely forgot herself, something she instantly regretted the moment her angry outburst left her mouth. "Why aren't you listening to me? Why do you treat me like a little girl? I'm a grown-ass woman and I don't have to take this shit from you, you bastard!" She hung up her phone and realized what she had just done. "Ooh, shit," she groaned.

The Joker had removed his fingers from his face as Harley yelled at him. His eyes grew wide with amazement and he looked at his phone in shock. "She hung up on me," he said quietly. "The little bitch just hung up on me."

The tension in the Escalade was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Suddenly, he smirked to himself. He knew what he was going to do to make sure that this wouldn't happen again. He closed his phone and put it in the pocket of his powder blue jacket that was underneath his coat. "She said she was 'sorry,'" he said out loud to himself. "Yeah…she's gonna be sorry."

He looked back at Mike who quickly averted his gaze. The Joker stared at him with a daring look in his eyes and the guys stayed silent until they turned the corner and drove down the alley that brought them to the abandoned warehouse.

Harley heard the car doors slam and ran to the bedroom door and peered out to look downstairs. She couldn't see anyone. A few seconds later, she heard loud footsteps come up the stairs and she quickly ran to the bed and sat down on the edge, her fingers nervously twitching between her legs.

The door opened and the first thing she saw was The Joker's angry frown. He came in with his purple coat over his shoulder and he threw it over the seat of Harley's vanity. He turned and continued to glower at her as he took off his blue jacket and his shoulder holster. Harley anxiously watched him, even more nervous that he wasn't saying anything, not a stern word escaping his lips.

Then, without warning, he grabbed her by her ponytail and yanked her to her feet. She shrieked in pain but was silenced when the back of his gloved hand struck her cheek. Harley couldn't fall backward onto the floor since he was still holding her up by her hair. She could feel hot tears burn in her blue eyes, but she was making herself hold them back. She had told him that she wasn't going to tolerate the way he treated her anymore, but that was hard for her to do when he towered over her and continued to backhand her. He had taken one of his gloves off and the weight of his knuckles met her cheekbone and she knew that it would bruise.

Would he actually care this time?

The Joker stopped hitting her and let her fall to her knees. He expected to hear her sobs echo off the wooden floor, but, to his disappointment and anger, she stifled her tears. "Get up," he said harshly as he put his glove back on his hand.

She wobbled to her feet and touched her face, wincing in pain. He heard her hiss through her teeth and looked at her. A bruise was beginning to form on her cheek and he looked away to hide the fact that he was ashamed in doing it…but she needed to learn. He sniffed and looked back at her and said, "What was it you screamed at me before you hung up on me?" Harley looked at him and tried to answer, but she couldn't remember. She suddenly became confused. She still wasn't used to his sudden mood swings. Just hours ago he was tickling her on their bed and now he was punishing her for raising her voice to him. He licked his lips and answered his own question, "Why do I treat you like a little girl? Was that it?"

Harley took a deep breath and obediently nodded. The Joker rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Why do I treat you like a little girl, Harley? Because…you act like one sometimes." He came over to her and grabbed her arm and forced her out of the room. He led her to his study and before he opened the door, he pulled her closer and whispered, "If you're going to act like a spoiled brat, I'm gonna punish you like one." He pushed her into the room and turned on the light. "Now," he said as he followed her inside. "Be a good girl. Find a corner and put your nose in it."

Harley turned on her heels and sneered, "What? You can't be serious."

He looked at her for a moment and then put his lips to her ear and growled, "Put your nose in a corner before I break it." He watched her slowly walk to a corner and put her face to it, and she twiddled her thumbs as she heard him shut the door and walk back to the bedroom.

Harley had never been in this room before and glanced behind her very quickly to see a long table covered in newspapers, scissors, and markers. She could smell the markers from the newspapers, as they had bled through and left stains on the table. The smell wasn't very strong and she continued to look around the room. There was a homely-looking sofa that he probably took naps on in the middle of the day when he was stuck in there; he always slept with Harley at night. There was another table that was a square shape and it didn't have very many items on it, just a lamp and a few pieces of blank paper.

She quickly turned her nose back to the corner when The Joker entered the room again. He didn't go over to her as she expected but sat at the table in front of his project and began to work. She also noticed that he had thrown an object down onto the floor by his feet, but she didn't dare ask what it was for fear of being backhanded again. However, that didn't stop her from mumbling, "What the hell am I supposed to do here?"

She heard The Joker turn to look at her but he did not get up. Instead, he asked, "You've never been sent to the corner, have you, Harley?"

Harley tried to think back to when she was a child. She had to admit that her parents didn't really discipline her; she had always been a little spoiled and The Joker loved to point out the fact that she was just another conceited, rich brat. She hated when he did that and when she tried to defend herself, he would just laugh and tell her that he would break her of that.

Now's his chance, she thought to herself. He's just waiting for me to give him the bait.

She cleared her throat and replied, "Never."

He snickered. "Well, that certainly explains a lot." He continued cutting out certain letters from another newspaper and putting them into a small box. "In that case," he continued. "Let me tell you how it works. You get in trouble…Daddy sends you to the corner…and you shut your nasty little mouth. That's it really."

Harley began to frown in annoyance at the way he was speaking to her, but before she could give him a derisive reply, he explained, "I sent you to the corner so that…you can have a chance to explain yourself while I let my anger…subside, so to speak. If I were to lace into you right now…I might never stop. And…I…I'm trying to be patient with you, girl." He paused and looked at her and was satisfied that she was still obediently facing the wall. "Now…why didn't you answer your phone the first time I called?"

Harley licked her lips and rolled her eyes as she answered, "I told you already. I didn't hear it. I was in another room."

The Joker nodded. "Understandable, but I don't believe you." Harley sighed and rolled her eyes again as he asked, "Why didn't you answer the second time?"

Harley huffed and repeated, "I didn't hear it. I was in another room."

"You've already used that excuse, and you had better watch your tone," he said, still cutting letters. "Is your phone not working or something? If you need a new one, all you have to do is ask me and I'll get you one…because…we both know…that you've always gotten what you wanted, eh, rich girl?" He grinned and looked at her from his work and saw the tension beginning to build in her shoulders. "Where's your phone?"

"In the bedroom." She heard him get up and leave the room and a few seconds later, he came up behind her and gave her the cell phone. She took it with a confused look on her face and heard him sit back at his work table. She jumped when she heard the loud ringing of her phone and looked at the ID and saw that The Joker was calling her from across the room. She furrowed her brow in frustration and answered it, "Yes?"

"Did you hear _that_?" he asked into his cell from his table. He suppressed a chuckle that was threatening to rise from his throat as he saw Harley hang her head.

He knew he was getting to her, but he was waiting for the right moment to pounce.

He hung up his phone and walked over to her and took hers. "That ringtone is pretty loud. You didn't hear that? In this huge warehouse? That has great acoustics?" He put her phone in his pocket as he walked back to the table.

Harley was still holding back tears, but this time they were tears of anger. She could feel her face begin to flush and she tried to keep her nose to her corner. She also tried to bite her tongue to keep her from saying what was going through her head as The Joker continued to taunt her.

"Tell me, doll-face," he said as he began to cut up a magazine. "Why in the world…did you speak to me like that? Did you think that…I would let you get away with it? Especially…after calling me a 'bastard?' What went through that spoiled-rotten head of yours while you were screaming at me?"

"Jesus Christ! Will you just shut the fuck up already?!"

And that was the moment he was waiting for.

Harley jumped when she heard The Joker angrily slam down his scissors and she shut her eyes tight as his irate footsteps stomped in her direction. He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her to the other table on the other side of the room. She spouted apologies at him while he cleared the table of the blank papers and desk lamp and laid her across it on her stomach. Harley tried to get up and face him, but he grabbed the back of her neck and forced her down. "That was very stupid," he told her, rather calmly as he held her.

She heard him go back to his desk and she looked behind her as he picked up what he had put on the floor beside him. She saw it more clearly when he came back to her: it was a thick leather belt. Harley turned her head around and stared at the wall. He had spanked her once before, but not with a belt. It hadn't been a drawn-out punishment either; just a few hard smacks on her bottom as opposed to her face. He came up to her and she squeaked as he yanked off her red sleep shorts, exposing her naked flesh.

She squinted and waited for the pain, but instead The Joker stood behind her. He slammed his belt down beside her on the table and sighed. "Why aren't you wearing any panties, young lady?" he asked her, his voice deep with anger.

"I…I…didn't wear any today…" she stammered, all the while hearing the crinkle of his leather belt as he squeezed it in his gloved hand.

"I know that! I asked you 'why,' you little slut!" His voice had risen as he stood over her and she cowered in humiliation. "Are you trying to tell me…that you've been strutting around here today…in these tiny shorts…without any panties on?" His voice was sending chills up her spine…but at the same time the chills were arousing her, and she was utterly confused.

Was she enjoying this? Was she actually anticipating the feel of his belt on her bare bottom?

He licked his lips and then made a clicking sound with his tongue. "You do realize that…there are usually other men here? My men…that you see everyday…if they knew that you walked around like this…"

"Daddy," she hurriedly explained. "I don't do that everyday. It was just today, I promise."

"Why just today?"

"I…" Harley gulped. "I wanted to give you…a nice surprise…when you got home."

The Joker chuckled. "Well, you definitely succeeded." He bent himself over her until his mouth was to her ear. "Okay, I'm implementing a new rule. The only conditions that I want you to not wear panties are, one, when you shower, and two, when I…take them off…_myself_…am I clear?"

Harley nodded. "Yes."

"Yes, what?!"

"Yes, sir."

He slowly backed away from Harley and readied his belt in his hand. "Keep both feet on the floor…and keep your elbows on the table, palms flat. You think you can do that for me, little girl?"

Harley nodded and suddenly felt a sharp sting across her bottom. She shrieked in pain and knew that his belt had left a fresh welt on her skin. It was then that she realized it was because she didn't answer him properly. "Y-yes, sir!" she quickly shouted, gulping back her tears.

"That's better," he mumbled as he fixed his glove and continued to beat Harley's backside with the thick leather.

Harley writhed on the table and did her best to keep her feet on the floor, which was hard to do since every time she would lift one foot, The Joker's belt would land across one of her thighs. "I see you've never been spanked with a belt before either, huh, Baby Girl?"

"N-no, sir! Ow!!" she cried as his belt landed harder and harder.

"Well, you'd better get used to it because…this is what you're gonna get every time."

Harley lifted her head as he brought the belt down again. "Ah! All this…ow! Because I didn't answer the phone?"

The Joker chuckled. "No. I was gonna let you slide for that. I mean, you are forgetful sometimes." He paused and brought the belt down onto her now beet red bottom three more times before continuing. "So forgetful that…you still don't seem to know…who's in charge around here!" He brought the belt across her left thigh, making Harley scream in pain. "And I told you to keep your feet on the floor!"

"Yes, sir!" she squealed, her tears now leaving her eyes and staining her face.

After a few more licks, The Joker stopped when he heard Harley's sobs. He breathed heavily, all the while holding his belt by his side while his hand started to sweat inside his glove. He looked at Harley as she was bent over the table and saw how red her bottom looked, small bruises and welts co-mingling with the new hue of her skin.

He had the sudden urge to fuck her as she was right then, pounding furious thrusts into her until she begged him to stop. However, he decided that she might like that too much…and he knew that he had to go through with her punishment. He didn't want her to assume that her body had a certain control over his libido. After all, she wasn't allowed to initiate sex; only he could. If Harley ever tried to seduce him, all she would get was a hard slam against the wall or a sound smack on the face.

He had to admit that Harley looked beautiful at that moment, her milky white skin suddenly turned into a dark red tint while her bottom bounced under the force of his belt. He came around to the other side of the table, dragging his chair behind him. He sat in front of her and lifted her face to his and saw her beautiful blue eyes shining with tears.

Damn, she's gorgeous, The Joker thought to himself, but quickly switched gears back to what he was doing.

He creased his brow in feigned concern. "Aww," he cooed sarcastically. "Does Daddy's belt hurt?"

Harley continued to sob and nodded. She turned her face away from him, but soon lifted it in accordance with his stern "Look at me!" They gazed into each other's eyes and then The Joker asked her, "How does it feel…to finally be dealt with? Hmm? Even you have to admit that…this is something…you've been needing for a long time." Harley's sobs lessened and she kept her eyes on his as he continued, "In fact, I probably should have done this months ago…if I knew you were going to act like a spoiled little princess."

Harley's brow began to crease in anger, but he suddenly warned her, "You'd better wipe that look off your face…or Daddy's not gonna put his belt away." Her face slowly relaxed and she continued to catch her breath. The Joker clicked his tongue and it instinctively flew across his bottom lip. "Now," he said as he threw his belt to the floor and got out of his chair. He walked over to his work table and stared at it for a few seconds. Harley turned her head and saw him take something off of a stack of old newspaper clippings, but she didn't have time to find out what it was when he came back over to her. He sat back down in his chair and finished his sentence. "I think I've dealt with your…smart ass for long enough. However, there is still something that needs to be done…to that spiteful little tongue of yours."

She watched him jostle with something in his hands and her eyes grew wider when he brought it within her view, and she realized that the instrument with which her tongue was going to be punished was a medium-sized binder clip. Instinctively, she pursed her lips tighter, but that didn't stop him from commanding, "Open your mouth." His tone was the most severe she had ever heard coming from him and all she could think of to do was vigorously shake her head, all the while giving him the most sympathetic look she could muster.

She had apparently forgotten that those looks never worked on him and he leaned in closer, his brow wrinkled in anger and his eyes piercing, and repeated, "Harley…open…your mouth!" Harley began to shake in fear. She had heard of kids with dirty mouths being punished with a bar of soap on the tongue, and, right now, she would have gladly accepted that punishment.

The Joker finally sighed and moved his chair closer to the table, which Harley was still bending over as her bottom throbbed in pain. He cleared his throat and calmly told her, "You're going to open your mouth, girl…and I'm gonna do one of two things. Either you let me clamp this thing…on your tongue…_or_…I go to my desk and bring over my scissors…and snip off the tip. Because, whatever your choice may be, that foul little tongue of yours…is gonna get what it deserves. I really don't care how it gets punished…just as long as it will remind you…of who is in charge."

Harley took a deep breath and shut her eyes tight as she slowly opened her mouth and timidly brought out the tip of her pink tongue. "Atta girl," The Joker said as he squeezed her cheeks to make her tongue protrude a bit more, and he quickly let the binder clip fasten itself onto it.

She had never felt immense pain such as what she was feeling at that moment. Harley screamed at the top of her lungs and kicked her legs uncontrollably. The Joker didn't move; he sat in his chair while he held Harley's wrists, relishing in her reaction to his sadistic idea of punishment. He knew, however, that he could only leave it on her tongue for a few seconds and he grabbed her face and took off the clip. Harley put her face into the wood and her sobs echoed off the walls as he sat back in his chair and watched her.

After she had calmed down a bit, The Joker grabbed her face again and made her tongue protrude one more time. He put the edge of the clip on the tip of her tongue to where it was barely pinching it. He held her face tightly in his hand while she shrieked in agony and, after a few more seconds, he quickly yanked the clip off her tongue, making it leave a small nick in the skin. Harley brought one of her hands to her mouth and covered it, muffling her painful scream. The tears were now flowing from her eyes and leaving wet stains on the wooden table under her.

The Joker threw the binder clip back onto his work table and casually leaned forward and rubbed his hands between his knees as he watched Harley cry and patiently waited for her calm down. When she finally did, he took a deep breath and said, "Would you like to tell me…what you've learned today?"

Harley lifted her head and tried her best to quickly answer his question, but the tip of her tongue was bleeding and it hurt every time it would hit teeth. "Yeth…" she squeaked, and then shut her eyes, embarrassed at the irony that she was now speaking like a little girl with a lisp. "I…learned…" she continued through her choking sobs and swollen tongue. "Not to…thmart off…and…that…you're in…charge…"

"Who's in charge, Harley?" he asked her, giving her a glare, but deep down wishing she would answer truthfully so he could stop her punishment. Even though he knew that she needed to be taught a lesson, he was getting tired of chastising her and wanted to go back to his work.

"Daddy is…" she managed to tell him.

"That's right. Daddy is in charge. Not Little Baby Harley…_**Daddy**_." His tone cut into her ears like a knife and she hung her head and sighed, "Yeth, thir."

The Joker noticed that specks of blood from her tongue were beginning to stain themselves on her mouth. "Put on your shorts and get out of my sight," he told her coldly.

Harley did as she was told and left the room. Little did she know that Mike was looking up at her as her sobs began to come back and she slowly walked to the bedroom.

"Don't look at her, rook," came Bobby's voice as Mike and Sly looked over at him during their card game. The game was an unsettling one since they had to endure Harley's screaming. They knew that The Boss was beating her and Sly and Bobby were used to it, but this one, they had to admit, was pretty severe. Sly had seen The Boss go into that room with his belt and he didn't have to guess what Harley was going to go through. Mike wanted desperately to help her or comfort her because he wasn't sure if The Joker would do that or if he was even capable of doing it. So, he turned back to his hand and said, "Uh…give me three cards."

Harley collapsed on the bed and relaxed from exhaustion. Deep down, she felt that her Puddin' didn't care for her anymore since she disappointed him today. "Why don't I ever learn?" Harley scolded herself. "He doesth too much for me…and I take it for granted…" She started to sob again, but it didn't last long because she suddenly passed out and went into a deep sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, she found that there was a small bag of partially melted ice on her bruised cheek. She slowly raised herself up and flinched when she felt that yesterday's punishment had left an impression on her bottom. Harley put her hand in the back of her shorts and felt her skin and found that it was still burning and she winced again when her nails glided over one of her welts. She got out of bed and hobbled into the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that the bruise on her cheek wasn't as bad as she thought. She smirked, knowing that The Joker had put that bag of ice on her face. She would never mention it to him, but she knew he felt bad for leaving a mark there. She remembered an instance where he blackened her eye and he had called her all day the next day to see if she needed anything. She leaned into the mirror and saw that the tip of her tongue was clothed in a small piece of cotton wrapped with medical tape. She carefully pulled it off and found her tongue to be almost healed.

Suddenly, she heard her phone ring and she instantly ran to it and answered before it could ring for a second time. "Hello?" she answered.

The Joker smiled broadly as he heard Harley's sweet voice. "Good morning," he said with a bright inflection in his voice. "How's my little angel?"

Harley sighed and a small smile began to form on her lips. "Um…I'm okay. I slept pretty hard."

"I can tell that your tongue is healing, too," he said proudly. "You don't sound like Shirley Temple anymore."

Harley couldn't help but giggle and laughed louder when he said, "Oh, wait. She didn't have a lisp, did she? Okay, how about Snagglepuss?"

"Don't forget Daffy Duck, baby," she said cautiously back at him.

She was relieved when he laughed back at her and said, "Well, one of those, anyway. But you sound better." There was a small pause and then The Joker said, "So, uh…do you need anything?"

"Well," she thought for a moment and then smiled. "Um…you could bring me something for my phone."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

She giggled and replied, "One of those cell phone covers that hook on to your belt loop…so that I can keep my cell handy."

The Joker's boisterous laughter echoed through her phone and she joined in with him. She beamed proudly when he finally replied, "That's my good girl!"


End file.
